Staff Reporter
Rtnn: Prices of essential commodities will come down to reasonable prices fixed by the government as all relevant agencies will work towards that end, State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu said today (17 March).

"The Department of Agriculture Marketing Has fixed the prices of the goods. This department has its own district, upazila and central-level committees. As we monitor the market, we will coordinate in this regard, he told reporters after a discussion programme marking the 104th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the TCB Bhaban in the capital.

Our responsibility will be monitoring the market from the producer level to wholesale and the retail level," he added.

 Stating that there is coordination in commodity price control, the state minister said, "When you determine something at a reasonable level, you cannot implement it immediately.

"It was important to determine this first. The law was there for a long time but was not implemented. We will now coordinate with the DAM, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, deputy commissioners, and upazila nirbahi officers. 

Hopefully it [commodity] will come down to a reasonable level.

Ahsanul Islam Titun further said, We are holding meetings with the market committee and traders everywhere. We are encouraging them. We are implementing it [reasonable goods price] by solving their problems.

The state minister said the authorities are not shutting down stores or shops.

The DAM fixed prices of 29 essential agricultural products, including onion, broiler chicken, mutton, beef, and eggplant, at retail, wholesale, producer and production levels amid surging price hikes on Friday (15 March).